Bereavement Support
Dealing with a bereavement can be difficult, confusing and stressful, especially if it is your first time acting as a personal representative. This guide brings everything you need into one place, so you can notify us and manage the funds held with Fundsmith as smoothly and simply as possible.
Download the full guide
Sometimes it's easier to talk
Speak to us directly for assistance or to notify us of a bereavement.
0330 123 1815
+44 1268 448659 from overseas.
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Fundsmith LLP, PO Box 10846, Chelmsford, Essex, CM99 2BW
A SIMPLE WAY TO NOTIFY US
Using Life Ledger
Life Ledger is a free, secure service that allows you to notify multiple organisations of a bereavement at the same time. If you use Life Ledger, they will pass the relevant information on to Fundsmith, so you do not need to contact us separately.
Notify Fundsmith using Life Ledger
If you'd rather not use Life Ledger, you can contact Fundsmith directly using any of the methods above.
HOW IT WORKS
- Register the person who has died on the Life Ledger website.
- Select Fundsmith — along with any other organisations to notify.
- We receive the notification and get in touch with the next steps, including completing the Fundsmith Bereavement Form.
What happens next
Once you have notified us of a bereavement, directly or via Life Ledger, the next steps depend on the nature of the account.
Sole account
Where the late client held a sole account, follow the steps below.
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Send the original Death Certificate (unless a copy has been provided via Life Ledger)
Post us the original certificate. We will reply with the date-of-death valuation required for probate and details of any cash balances held. Original certificates are returned promptly by Royal Mail Special Delivery. -
Obtain a Grant of Representation
In most cases a Grant of Representation is required. If the holding is below £20,000 you may instead complete a Small Estate Form, witnessed by a solicitor. -
Complete the Fundsmith Bereavement Form
All personal representatives should complete and sign the form. We will verify each representative’s identity before processing any instruction to distribute the funds. -
Send the remaining documents to us
Enclose any forms necessary for us to act on your instructions to distribute the funds.
Ways to distribute the funds
Once we have verified the personal representatives, the investment can stay with us, be transferred, or be sold and the proceeds paid to the personal representative.
Joint account
Where the account was held in joint names, we remove the late client and the account continues in the name(s) of the remaining holder(s). Follow the steps below if you are the surviving account holder or personal representative.
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Send the original Death Certificate (unless a copy has been provided via Life Ledger)
Post us the original certificate; we return it promptly by Royal Mail Special Delivery. Enclose a covering letter with any actions you would like us to take — for example, updating the bank account linked to the investment. -
Ongoing management
Once we have all required documents, the late client is removed from the account, which continues to be managed by the surviving joint holder(s).
What is a Personal Representative?
Personal representatives are the person(s) responsible for the administration and distribution of the assets of the person who has died, also called the deceased’s estate. In the guide and on this page we refer to both executors and administrators as personal representatives.
Frequently Asked Questions
We need the original Death Certificate unless you have provided a copy via Life Ledger. If one has not yet been issued we can accept an interim Death Certificate or Coroner’s Certificate to register the death, though we will still need the original to continue with any further actions. If a Grant of Representation has already been obtained we can accept this instead. For estates in Scotland, Fundsmith must be listed on the Certificate of Confirmation.
For joint accounts, once we update our records the investment becomes registered in the surviving holder(s)’ name and future instructions can be from them. For sole accounts, we stop correspondence to the deceased, cancel any active Direct Debits or Regular Withdrawal Facilities, and send a valuation as at the date of death along with details of any distributions and cash balances held.
Yes. Fundsmith can pay some or all of the funds directly to HMRC to cover an Inheritance Tax bill, provided we hold the original Death Certificate. In the UK you must pay Inheritance Tax before you can obtain a Grant of Representation — once we receive a completed IHT423 form we can make the payment directly to HMRC.
Foreign Grants are not recognised in the UK. If the document was issued in a former or current Commonwealth country it may be possible to have it resealed in the UK, which is usually quicker than applying for a new Grant. If it cannot be resealed you will need to apply for a UK Grant.